The Cost Of Hatred
by Winter
Summary: PG-13 for some blood and carnage. Every war has its costs and the Lylat war was no exception. My long overdure return to FF.net, inspire by Adagio for strings (The music from Platoon)


Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Fox universe or any of its characters. Any unautherised use of my characters will not be tolerated.  
  
Note: This short fic was inspired by the classical tune Adagio for strings by Samuel Barber (The music from Platoon) so I recommend you play said track while you read this for the full effect.  
  
The Cost Of Hatred by Edward "Winter" Weldon  
  
She couldn't hold the tears back this time. Gripping one of the corridor railings, Lt. Mina Barber of the Cornerian medical core began to break down in tears as the long, drawn out electronic tone signalled that the young pilot on the medical table was dead. The warm salty water fell from the cream coloured feline and splashed off the cuffs of her doctor's coat, stained red with blood.  
  
"How old was he?" She thought, "He didn't look like he´d even been kissed by a girl and now he's dead." She looked back at the fox on the table. He looked to be about late teens, most likely another underage high school student who had lied about his age to join the military. He had once been handsome too, with rusty red fur and a charming smile. She had seen him around the decks of the Carrier CNS Endeavour a few times, but had never actually talked to him. Most of his fur had been burnt off, leaving nothing but blackened skin and bloody, charred stumps of his legs.  
  
The pain had been so intense that the drugs couldn´t even make him comfortable while he lay screaming on the decks when his fighter had crushed onto the flight bay. All though it, Mina had forced herself to hold back the tears, to distance herself and her compassion. Military triage rules dictated that he be left to die while the less wounded were treated. He had called out to her, reaching with his one good arm and imploring her for help. She could see the fear, the sheer terror in his young eyes. All he had wanted was for her to hold his hand, so he wouldn´t be afraid, but she had denied him even this most basic of comforts.  
  
She hated herself for doing that to him, for making his last moments so tortuous. Looking back across the corridor to the medical bay, she saw his cold, dead eyes staring at her. The rest of her team had been so busy with the other wounded, that no one had an opportunity to drape a cloth over his face yet. The look on those eyes was one of frozen terror and it brought a fresh flood of tears from Mina. She was startled by the hand on her shoulder as she came to see the older features of the Medical chief, Col. Miller.   
  
"Lieutenant Barber, focus! We have more wounded in coming and I need every one on my staff running at 100%.Do you understand me?" He said gruffly, the older collie angry that she was letting her thoughts wander at such a critical time.  
  
But…MORE casualties? Already she could hear more gurneys being wheeled down the corridor, bearing wounded, both Cornerian and Venomian from the massive capital ship engagement that the CNS Endeavour had just fought. Pilots and crewmen from both sides and of every species imaginable were brought in. Many had serious plasma burns; others had severed limbs or had been caught in the backflashes of explosions. All were crying out to her where she stood in the corridor. A young Venomian pilot, a Coyote little older than the dead fox clung to her arm, streaking blood down her sleeve.  
  
"Pleease…it hurtsssss…help me please…," He wailed, slurring through burnt lips on the ruined side of his face. He was quickly pushed away to the sides as the orderlies separated that Venomian and Cornerian casualties.  
  
"Treat all Cornerian wounded as priority cases, Venomians secondry. Get to them when you can, but don´t go to any great lengths to keep them alive if their serious.We´re here to save Conerian lives, not theirs," Miller said callously. He had a look of utter disdain on his face as the Venomians cried out to anyone for help. Mina couldn´t take it any more. She buried her face in her hands and ran, trying to drown out the cries of the wounded. She took a wrong turn at the end of the corridor and ran into one of the large cargo bays.  
  
The floor of the massive chamber was covered from wall to wall with low mounds, covered by white sheets, many of which were covered with blood. Hundreds, no, thousands of bodies lay silently on the cold, sterile metal deck, piled one on top of another. The collected dead of the combined Cornerian and Katinan fleet, in total 100´000 casualties lay before her. Mina´s tears had become a constant stream and she fell to her knees as she thought about the countless sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers who had been brought here by the greed of men in far away offices and by the hatred that they fuelled for their own ends.  
  
Another hand was laid on her shoulder, this time much gentler and kinder. She looked up and saw a fox with rusty red fur, very much like the one who still lay on the table in the medical bay…no, he was older by a few years and his fur was a different shade. The name tag on his flight suit read "F.McCloud."  
  
"How could we do this to each other? How could we let all these people die and still call this war just?" She said, fighting through the tears.  
  
"Its evil alright. But all this killing, all this death will end someday. I know that there will be a better future for out descendants because of their sacrifices," He replied softly.  
  
"How? How can anything good come out of all this death?" Mina asked, looking back at the piles of dead.  
  
"Because of people like you who can see past the hatred and weep for those lost on both sides. I saw you crying for the Venomians and that is what gives me hope that there will be something better to look forwards to after this war," He answered, helping Mina to her feet. "Wars cannot last for ever…but hate can. This system will need people like you more than ever if this war is ever to truly end."  
  
Mina turned and began to walk away back towards the medical bay. "Thank you," She said, turning round briefly.  
  
The fox turned as well and replied, "No, thank you…for giving me something to hope for once again…"  
  
End 


End file.
